Even in this Moment
by voldemilymort
Summary: People always say opposites attract. North and South. Black and White. Lily and James? To James his relationship with Lily seems almost certain. But Lily couldn't think of anything worse. James won't stop at anything, so the Marauders are in for a tough year.


_**Authors Note: Heya, this is my first fic on this site so reviews would be highly helpful *hint hint***_

_**Thankyou to Artemis and Shreya my BETA readers, you guys rock! **_

**Disclaimer: The concept and main characters belong to JKR ****[bows]**

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Platform 9¾ was, as it always is, packed. It was packed from the very top, to the very bottom. All the eyes could see where the glittering colours of the wizards robes as they excitedly boarded the train. But there was something wrong with the almost perfect picture. At the very edge of all the fun stood a boy…he wore rounded glasses and stunk of arrogance. Who was this boy? Why, it was James Potter!

The boy had no luggage on him; in fact he had nothing but a peculiar looking parcel. And to anyone that is in Hogwarts (perhaps maybe exempting the first years) would know that this boy was up to no good. And actually, the knowledge that his fellow comrades Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew weren't by his side would be enough to unnerve someone. In fact, looking at this metaphorical picture of Platform 9 and ¾, you would see that the other 3 marauders where nowhere to be seen. And a person could only put together one conclusion: That the boys where in fact already on the train. They were on there a half hour early, but so be it.

And it seemed that James Potter came to this conclusion after loitering around (solitary, of course) for a few moments. The boy hoisted his package up onto the train and took it to meet his friends.

His friends, as always, were sitting in the third carriage from the back. This was the ideal space for them as they were far from the teachers, so the teachers could not hear them, and they were far from the engine, so they could actually hear each other.

As James approached his usual carriage one of his friends (Peter, to be exact) shouted at him in a carried whisper, "Have you got it?" Which caused his other friends to repeat that question. James pointed quickly to the package at his side. "Good," said Peter, although he did not seem too certain with his own decision. The boy who sat closest to the window, Sirius Black, checked his watch. "10:27 Prongs, we better do it now."

To any onlooker, these nicknames probably seem childish. In fact, I'm sure most of the year doesn't have a single clue why these boys call each other these weird names (except for maybe Snivellus. But he's the exception...) But there is, in fact, a highly logical reason. Each of these pesky Marauders are Animagi. James Potter is a stag, and therefore nicknamed Prongs. Sirius was a dog, and therefore was nicknamed Padfoot. Peter Pettigrew was a rat, hence the name Wormtail. And Remus Lupin? Well he's a werewolf, but that's another story. But, his nickname if Moony, and I don't believe I have to explain that. None of these boys were registered Animagi. They would get into heaps of trouble if the Ministry found out they had become Animagi without registering. But seeing as ¾ of the clan plan to be Aurors, then it would be highly helpful in the disguise part of the training. And Remus couldn't do much to animals in his werewolf form. But as it was, at this particular moment, the boys were not in their animal forms, they were just, as usual, up to no good.

"Prongs, you ready?"

The one with the circular glasses nodded eagerly. "I was born ready mate."

"Let's get on with it then," said Remus, who was the most responsible of the group. Remus, along with Sirius, headed to the corridors of the train, they were to be the distraction. Peter was the grasper. That meant he would record evidence of their mischievous ways for the boys to reminisce over, but he was also to remove evidence that anyone else came across. And James was the one who carried this particular stunt out.

The boys all scurried their separate ways and waited for the Hogwarts Express to start up. Their plan was to start their NEWT year with a bang… literally. For James's package was not just any ordinary parcel. It was a bundle of the finest bewitched fireworks money could buy, and the fireworks where to be thrown into the furnace of the steam train. Admittedly, this would've been a beautiful sight if it had been carried out perfectly. But these were the marauders, and perfect wasn't their forte. Anyone could argue and argue that this mission was a failure for several reasons, and the boys did argue for hours in detention. They all knew the real reason it didn't work. This reason was a redheaded girl with shining green eyes: Lily Evans.

Lily would never purposefully sabotage their plans, nearly all of the time she doesn't know they are happening. But there's one thing with Lily that ¾ of the Marauders get strongly aggravated over. And this is the fact that their main master of mischief is hopelessly in love with her. This isn't just a school crush; this is a full blown 'his eyes follow her everywhere' experience. Lily doesn't know this of course. She should know it, the entire student body knows the plain fact, but Lily is oblivious to many things, and James's heartache is one of them.

James first fell for Lily in fourth year. But back then it was more of a school crush type fiasco that he can admit. But sadly, he went about the whole situation in a much too '2nd Year James' type way. He asked her out every single day of the term, some days even twice. His main thoughts were 'oh, if only Lily knew he was being serious. Then she might say yes'. But that's the thing; Lily did not know he was being serious. Lily thought he was just being his usual arrogant self, showing off to his friends by humiliating a 'nerd'. And to this day Lily still has mixed feelings over him.

"Potter," She said as she entered the train. "You don't happen to know where the prefects' carriage is do you?"

"Um, no sorry Evans, I-um-I" James was trying to do everything he could to stop Lily witnessing his mischievous ways, he wasn't scared she'd tell a teacher, he just didn't want her to think bad of him or even get the blame herself. The package in his hand gave him away though, and as Lily walked away the package tore and the mess of the sparklers littered the floor.

"I'm not even going to ask…" she sighed as she watched him carefully pick them up off the floor and begin to light them one by one. It didn't even strike her what they were before then. "Potter…what are you doing?"

"I-um," James jumped bolt upright with the lit fireworks in both hands. "It's a project." He said glancing towards the furnace.

"You are _not_putting them in there!" she shouted.

James just shrugged to this. "Well were else are they meant to-shit, shit, shit!" It seemed that James Potter had got too caught up in talking that he only remembered he had lit the fireworks until the flame began to burn his hand. Out of instinct James dropped the fireworks onto the floor and they skidded off down the hall.

The whole train turned into a ruckus as the fireworks made their way around the carriages. Glittered lights filled each carriage: mirror blue emerged from one carriage, whilst the opposite mirrored the image but with a different coloured explosion. Each explosion came with a mass of screams. James quickly ran back to his carriage to find his friends collapsed in fits of laughter. "Why…didn't…we…think…of…that…in…the…first…place, Prongs?" Sirius asked trying to contain his laughter.

"Because we would have been expelled that's why." Moony tried to be serious, he really did, but his friends somehow rubbed off on him and the whole groups laughter blended into the sound of distant fireworks.

It seemed like hours before the fireworks ended, and of course, the boys still had to expect the wrath of McGonagall, a hawk-eyed teacher who just so happened to be their head of house. But when the handle finally turned on their door, it was not McGonagall that stepped through, it was in fact Professor Dumbledore, the head teacher of the school. "Oh crap," Peter muttered under his breath. But to this, Dumbledore only chuckled.

"That was a nice parade, boys," was his opening sentence. Already this was met with an outburst of excuses from the entire crew. "Relax, relax," Dumbledore chuckled. "I am not here to discuss that." To say this statement was met with sighs of relief would be an understatement.

"But if you aren't here to punish us, why are you here?" James asked as politely as possible.

"Why, I came here for you James. I was going to ask why you were not in the prefect's carriage. Lily Evans says she saw you, but you didn't mention anything?"

"Sorry sir, but why would I be in the prefects carriage?"

"James, has no one told you?" Dumbledore gasped. "You're Head Boy!" At this comment the entire group, including James himself, burst into laughter. But Dumbledore remained quite serious. James, seeing this, stopped laughing almost immediately.

"Fuck. Am I actually?" He asked.

"Yes, congratulations! And I'm sure you are aware you are Quidditch Captain too?" James was obviously not aware as this statement was met by a mass of cheers. Dumbledore, again, just laughed. "I do rather enjoy your celebrations James, but would you please be getting along to the prefects carriage now?"

"Yes, yes, of course," James said getting up.

"Sir," Pettigrew asked. "Who's Head Girl?"

"Why, Miss Evans, of course." As he answered James' face broke out into a huge grin and he sped out of the room.

James was not only met by Lily's glare, but the whole prefect team seemed to be glaring at him. But, of course, this didn't last for long. After all, nobody can stay mad at James Potter for longer than 2 hours, it is a proven fact. At this very moment though, Lily Evans was excluded from the category as she has been mad at him for 4 years and counting.

"Potter, you arsehole, what time do you call this?" Lily whispered furiously as he finally decided to enter the room.

"Well, unlike you, I was dealing with a couple of bewitched fireworks," James replied and smirked.

"Dealing with?" Lily scoffed. "You can't fool me Potter, I saw you light them." His grin quickly dropped from his face and Lily chuckled quietly to herself. She may be mean, but she wouldn't stoop as low as grassing him in. She was a Gryffindor, and Gryffindor's do not grass others up. "Sorry for the intrusion," She continued, as if her conversation with James hadn't happened. "But shall we finally get started?" Lily took the extreme silence as a yes and got to work allocating periods for people to walk around the castle on prefect duty. Once this was over, it was time for sports. Lily reluctantly allowed James to speak on behalf of this sector.

"So I'm hoping all the Quidditch Captains are here?" James began.

"No," Shouted a 7th Year Gryffindor situated at the back of the room.

"No?" James questioned. "Who are we missing, McKladd?" McKladd was the boys' name, Jerome McKladd. He believed himself to be the biggest jock of Hogwarts School. But in actual fact, he was the worst on the team.

"Gryffindor's Captain, Dumbledore hasn't given anyone the badge yet, so I'll step up and be-"

James immediately cut him off. "Yes he has," he snapped.

"He has? Who?" McKladd asked, obviously hurt to be misinformed.

"Who do you think, it's me you idiot," James barked. "Okay, anyway…"

James spent ages assigning the pitches bookings for the first term, Lily zoned out almost immediately. Once a muggle-born always a muggle-born, she will just never ever understand Quidditch, no matter how many times people try explain it.

Once the meeting finished the carriage emptied pretty quickly. James was about to leave the room, when a peculiar picture struck him, Lily Evans was staring vacantly into space. "Evans, Evans, Earth to Lily Evans…are you-"

"Fuck off Potter," she snapped.

"You do that a lot you know." James smirked.

"Do what? Swear, or stare?" James just raised his eyebrows knowingly and wondered off. Lily provided a mandatory "fuck you" aimed at the boy. But this seemed to spark his emotions and he sauntered off laughing.

By the time James reached his carriage again his friends were dressed in their robes and ready to go.

"Did McGonagall say anything?" Sirius asked as soon as the newly appointed Head Boy entered the room.

"She wasn't there, but Evans mentioned something though…" The other three stiffened, about to curse James simultaneously. "Relax, she didn't grass or anything, she just mentioned it to me."

"How does Lily come into this?" Remus questioned.

James tried as hard as possible to spit out a sentence. "Oh, erm, she was, erm, stood with me whilst I about to-" Sirius, always the hot-headed one, cut him off.

"JAMES POTTER! WHAT HAPPENED TO MATES BEFORE DATES?!"

"What? No it didn't go-"

"YOU TELLING ME IT WAS HER FUCKING FAULT THAT IT MESSED UP?"

"No, you seemed fine with it too-"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT SHE'LL DO? SHE'LL TELL DUMBLEDORE!"

"Stop acting so-"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT! IF YOU THINK THAT FUCKING REDHEADED GIRL IS GOING TO FLUTTER HER EYES AND-"

James had had enough with his friends. It wasn't like him to strop and sulk, but some things he just couldn't help. He rose out of his seat and cast a silencing charm on the carriage before Sirius could finish his sentence.

Meanwhile in Lily's carriage a heated discussion was taking place. "But I miss him!" Alice moaned. Alice, like Lily, was a 7th Year Gryffindor. But unlike Lily, Alice often had trouble with getting her priorities straight.

"Well, I miss my pet rabbit but I'm not going to go back and get it am I? Do you know why? Because it is the _rules_!" Jessica was the youngest of the group, but she was the most level headed out of everyone. Jessica was a 6th Year Ravenclaw, and, as unexpected as it may be, she was currently spending all her time with a group of two Gryffindors and a Slytherin.

"Did you just compare Frank to a Rabbit?" Lily laughed.

"_Guys,_you are completely missing the point." Alice said, trying as hard as she could not to join in with Lily's contagious laughing.

"Please enlighten us then." Malorie Bones, the Slytherin, had finally joined the conversation. It may be the first time they had officially met, but Lily decided to be the first to speak up, letting her true Gryffindor show.

"So nice of you to join the conversation Miss Bones, now would you please be quiet, we have a heartbroken girl to deal with." From anyone else this would've earned a punch. But somehow Malorie knew Lily wasn't being mean, it was just Lily's famous sarcastic banter.

Malorie smiled and played up to her role of being the snarling Slytherin. "Oh don't worry, I'm all ears." Alice fidgeted around in his seat for a bit before she began to speak.

"I just," Alice stuttered. "I just _have_ to go see him, I miss him so much. I mean there's nothing wrong with cutting class for-"

"Alice..." Lily simply said.

"You _can't_ he's an auror! He has a job to do now!" Jessica added.

"Wait, who are we talking about?" Malorie asked.

"Um," Alice was clearly as uncomfortable as Malorie was confident. "My boyfriend…Frank."

"Wait hold up… you were – sorry – are Frank Longbottom's girlfriend?" Alice nodded. "So you were the Jailbait everyone was on about." Alice's eyes widened. She obviously hadn't heard herself be called that before. Lily and Jess just glared at Malorie, they had tried so hard to keep that from her. Malorie ignored the glare and turned to the other two girls. "Are you sure she's alright, I mean, is it like a potion or something?" Lily, Jess and even Alice burst out laughing at this point.

"Nope," Lily said between laughs. "She's been like this forever."

"Claims its true love," Jess stated.

"Ugh," Malorie said.

"Tell me about it," Lily muttered.

Whilst the girls where making their acquaintances with their unlikely Slytherin companion, James had taken up a job of simply strolling through the train. "James, hey James." James turned around, ready to smack one of his friends that had been stupid enough to follow him. But to his surprise it wasn't Sirius, nor Peter or Remus. It was, in fact, Fabian and Gideon Prewett: the child prodigies of their time at Hogwarts School.

"Oh hello, um, sirs, how're you?" James tried. But to that the twins just laughed.

"Don't worry James, it's just us." Fabian laughed.

"I know but you're all middle aged and famous and-"

"Gee thanks." Gideon stated.

"Anyway," Fabian began. "We were told to come see you." This was obviously news to him as he seemed as shocked to the statement as they did finding out he was Head Boy.

"It's about our teaching assistance." Gideon added.

"Aw, you guys are teaching here? Man, that's cool." James was so star struck that he had to shake himself back into reality. "Perhaps we should go find Lily, she'll know more." And so the twins set off behind James Potter to Lily Evans' carriage creating a large mass of people to follow them. They were celebrities after all.

When the group arrived at Lily's carriage James had to quickly open the sliding door to ensure that only 3 of them stepped in. "Oh look, Potter's bought a parade to our carriage." Jess said without looking up from her book.

"What are you- oh my god. Oh my god." Alice began freaking out in her seat causing Lily to be pushed into the wall of the train.

"Alice. Alice. Alice," Lily started to push her friend away from her. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Lily you never told me you had such handsome company," Malorie said. And quietly whispered "damnnnnn" to Alice. To which Alice nodded.

"It appears Lily doesn't mention many things to anyone, for I never knew she'd be so friendly with a Slytherin." James said, not to cause an argument, but just to catch Lily's attention. But it didn't work, but it did however, catch Jessica's.

"Hey that's not fair we…" Jess had finally clicked on who was stood in their carriage. "Lily. Lily. Look who it is." Lily finally looked up expected to be granted with some amazing prince, but instead she found a frustrated James stood with two random men who appeared to be twins.

"Oh sorry, um, hello? Do you need anything?" Lily asked.

"Are you kidding me? Are you actually kidding me?" James stood there shaking his head. "Do you actually not know who this is?" Lily just said nothing.

Fabian and Gideon introduced themselves to Lily, explaining that they were Quidditch players. To this Lily just laughed explaining that she never would have known who they were purely due to the fact that they play Quidditch. After acquaintances were made Lily told the teaching twins the information they needed to know and set off to tell McGonagall that her apprentices had arrived. Meanwhile James decided to make it up to the lads by allowing Fabian and Gideon a small appearance in their carriage.

When James entered his carriage none of his friends were to be seen. "Something's up…" he said.

"Well should we just wait he-"

"NO" James cried. But it was too late; Gideon had already sat down on the chair which had caused the entire trolleys worth of chocolate frogs to be set upon him. It wasn't long before James' friends rounded the corner crying with laughter. James walked into the corridor of the train to meet them.

"Hey James it's looking a little froggy out isn't it?" Sirius said collapsing with laughter.

"You're morons," James stated.

"Woah James how come there isn't frogs pinning you down?" Remus asked.

"Because it wasn't me you hit."

"What?" Peter asked. "Well if it wasn't you who was it?"

Before James could reply Sirius shouted out, "It was Evans?" This just earned him a glare and a 'see for yourself' type remark.

"Fabian and Gideon Prewett. You let me curse Fabian and Gideon Prewett?" Sirius hissed.

"Well I didn't mean to did I?" James said and led the way into the carriage.

"Listen mate, I am so so sorry about what happened. I honestly thought it was Prongs." Sirius began to do a thing that not many people could say they have witnessed: grovel.

"Don't worry. It was rather funny actually." Fabian said.

"Easy for you to say," Gideon laughed. "But it was an excellent piece of wizardry, who cast the spell?" Peter began to explain how he was the one that cast it, but James was the one who had taught the whole group how to perform the charm.

Right as the twins had become friends with the Marauders Lily burst into their carriage.

"Oh brilliant. Just the one I wanted to see," Sirius remarked. But Lily just ignored his comment and made her way over to the twins.

"Sorry sirs, but Professors Dumbledore wanted me to let you know that you have to visit him as soon as we arrive at the school." Lily said making her way back to the carriage. "Oh and by the way, McGonagall is looking for the lot of you so I would hide before she finds you." And with that Lily made her way back to her own carriage.

The Marauders however, started to quick walk to the engine room, McGonagall would never look there. The boys all huddled into the dark space stifling their laughter. They were close enough to the door to hear what was happening outside. And what they could hear was very strange. "Professor!" A girl called out.

"Miss Bones? What is the matter?" McGonagall replied.

"That's Malorie Bones; she was sat in the carriage with Evans!" Potter hissed to his friends.

"Well you see, I'm trying to find my brother, and I've got Jess and Alice and even Lily helping me but now I've lost them too and…well it's such a big train…and I'm just scared that they…well…I don't know…" Malorie appeared to be in high distress.

"Don't worry Malorie, we'll get Professor Slughorn." McGonagall said and started off down the hall. Malorie lingered a bit and waited until McGonagall was out of earshot.

She bent down to the vent that led to engine room. "You owe me." She hissed. And walked off following then Professor.

"What just happened?" Remus asked his friends.

"I don't even know!" James laughed.

"I'll tell you what happened! Lily Evans got a Slytherin to cover for us!" Peter said, seeming proud that he was the one to figure it out.

Sirius let Peter's comment sink in a bit before he spoke up his own opinion. "Have I ever mentioned how much I fucking love Evans?" Sirius stated.

The boys stayed in the room for the remainder of their journey, only sneaking out right before arrival to grab their bags. They had made it without being caught. Of course, McGonagall would still catch up with them later, but for now, they could celebrate.


End file.
